Questions About How To Get Rid Of Fleas On Kittens

David asks…

How can you get rid of fleas on kittens?

2 week old kittens have small infestation of fleas. Dont want to use a shampoo. How can i get the fleas off of them?

admin answers:

Hi there...here's the answer by "A Veterinarian" on how to treat fleas in young kittens:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmECPVt0.2f5B7KC5WN8qxvsy6IX?qid=20061017065114AAGxJeo

I have found that the most effective and SAFEST thing to use for kittens that age is a product called Capstar, at a dosage of 1/2 of a 'blue' tablet (it's really white, but called blue b/c of the packaging...the other size is 'green') every 2-3 days until the kitten is old enough to use the more long-term products. (And when you do get the longer-acting products, DO NOT use the OTC one from the company that starts with an H and ends with a Z....or any of the other OTC's for that matter....unless you want your kitten to have seizures and die. We are baffled as to why those products are even still on the market.) Capstar is available from your veterinarian...just give them a call.

Some sprays are labelled for use for kittens over 6-8 weeks of age, but have to be applied every few days, too. Trust me...the Capstar is a much better option. There are many little tricks, but cats/kittens HATE the sprays, and will often drool for hours after application.

Don't bother bathing the kitten, except to remove flea 'dirt' (flea poop)....if you do that, don't panic if the water turns reddish, as flea excrement is nothing more than your kitten's blood that has been sucked out by the fleas and passed through their digestive system. Even the 'best' flea shampoo available through DVMs will only kill the fleas on the pet while wet with the shampoo....that's why I don't even sell 'flea shampoo' any more. It's a waste of time, effort, and money. Once dry, new fleas will get right back on if you are not treating your house concurrently (which takes time.) Same thing for Dawn/Joy dishwashing detergent....they kill the fleas GREAT (just DON'T get it in their eyes, and don't use it more than once, b/c it strips out the oil glands in their skin).....but once dry, there is no residual effect. If you do decide to bathe the kitten for some reason, make sure the gums and tongue are nice and pink. If they are pale (or white!), a bath (even with just plain water) can kill the kitten.

Your only other option is to make like a little monkey and sit there manually picking them all off one at a time.

Please call your DVM about the Capstar. It doesn't take many fleas to suck out enough blood to kill a little kitten like that. (Plus, they cause tapeworms.) The blue Capstar is labelled for kittens of any age, 2# of body weight or more. Your kitten is probably not quite that big yet, but I have treated hundreds of kittens less than a pound with the 1/2 dosage (saving many of their lives in the process.) It is INCREDIBLY SAFE. If you put the kitten in a box or carrier with a white towel after treatment, you will see it covered with dead/dying fleas within 30 minutes to an hour or so. I was a skeptic at first, but have been amazed at its safety and effectiveness. (We automatically give it to all my surgery patients the minute they walk in the door...because 1. We don't want them bringing fleas into the clinic to get on other pets, and 2. It's not exactly sterile to have a flea jump into the open abdomen incision in the middle of surgery.) It supposedly 'lasts' only 24 hours by label, but I have found that it really does a pretty good job for up to 2-3 days. It's safe enough to give every single day if you have to, however. I have also found that the 1/2 pill is quite effective for up to 5-8 pounds of body weight, even though anything over 2# is 'supposed' to get a whole pill. Just make sure to put the other 1/2 back into the little foil 'bubble' and tape it closed with cellophane tape until ready to use it. The longer it's exposed to air, etc. After being opened and cut in half, the less effective it will be.

(No, I don't work for the company that makes Capstar, lol. I just know for a fact that it's a great product. I only wish they'd come up with a slow-release version of it that would last for weeks or a month. I've never had a single case of toxicity....nor seen a single side effect.)

I'm a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with 20 years exp in private practice (27 total years in the profession.)

Chris asks…

How to get rid of fleas On kittens?

My cat caught fleas and gave them to her 4/5 week old kittens I wouldve gone to the vets but it's bank holiday I've heard about Dawn dish soap but I got no idea wat that is so yea how to get rid of them? Cheers

admin answers:

Ok, for the mother cat you could use a flea collar or if u want to use a flea product i would suggest you to use Frontline and Advantage brands.frontline is the choice of veterinarians when it comes to combating both fleas and ticks. Frontilne is proven protection. Frontline Plus killed 100% of fleas within 12 hours of application.
It is long lasting and continues to kill fleas and ticks all month long. It is also approved for use on puppies and kittens 8 weeks of age and older and on breeding, pregnant or lactating cats and dogs and is waterproof: effective even after swimming, bathing and grooming.
Also, the Advantage brand for fleas in cats is very effective and safe and kills fleas fast .it has been used by vets ans is EPA and FDA Approved.

For the kittens , the safest way to treat kittens under 6 weeks of age for fleas is to bathe him using warm water and Dawn dishwashing detergent and then to manually pick off remaining fleas. Dawn dishwashing soap is very effective and it kills fleas quickly. Many breeders bathe their cats in Dawn.
Bath the kittens one by one .Fill your sink or tub with warm water. (Test the temperature as if you were giving a baby a bath). Using the kitchen/bathroom sink is often easiest as you don't have to bend down and you are more in control. Immerse the kitten up to the kitten's neck and insure that he/her is saturated. Wet his/her face and head with a face washer. Then lift him/her out and place him/her on a towel. Gently massage in the Dawn detergent. Massage the soap all over his/her body and around his/her neck, ears, face, head and under his/her chin, being very careful not to get soap in his/her eyes. The fleas are not silly and will head for the high dry ground of the head area.
Then put him/her back in the water for a rinse. If he/she is not fighting and struggling too much try to keep his/her body submerged (with his /her head above the water of course) for a few minutes. If he /she is clawing you, get the job over and done with as quickly as possible.

Having two people perform the operation is often easier. One to hold the kitten and one to massage and wash the the kitten. When finished wrap him/her up in a dry towel and dry him/her off. Try to do this in a warm atmosphere and don't let him/her get cold.

Do comb the kittens after bathing them .

You could also buy a natural flea spray from petsmart that you could use on both the mother cat and her kittens.

Good luck
i starred:)

Richard asks…

How can you get rid of fleas on kittens that are only 4 weeks old?

I would also like to know how I can make my kittens become more domestic. They were wild cats and found them with no mother. Thank you for your responses.

admin answers:

OK first Here is capstar:Treats flea infestations on pets. Starts killing adult fleas on the pet within 30 minutes. One dose lasts 24 hours. For pets over four weeks of age. Next, Program: Flavor Tabs for cats and kittens 4 weeks of age or older.

When Abbie was a baby we had to use the spray from the vet and we sprayed it on a damp towel then wrapped her in it for 1/2 and hour per the vet's instruction.

Also vacuum all rooms once a day and empty the bag into a zip lock bag and throw away after each use.

I was told all animals needed to be treated so thats what we did.

Hope this helps.

George asks…

how can you get rid of fleas on kittens 8 days old?

my cat had kittens 8 days ago and they have fleas. i don't want them to die. please help me!!!

admin answers:

Fleas on kittens can be life threatening so you absolutly need to get rid of them on the kittens and the mother.I would suggest that you consult a vet. Bathing a kitten that young could make them sick because they need to stay warm and also flea products can be unsafe for a kitten under 8 weeks old!!! If you call your vet I'm sure they would give you advice right over the phone. GOOD LUCK!!!

Lisa asks…

How can I get rid of fleas on young kittens?

i just rescued to kittens, im not sure how old they are, maybe about 6 weeks. I have them in my garage right now but it's getting cold and I want to bring them in the house. They are covered in fleas and I don't want them to get to my dog. Iwasn't sure how to get rid of them, I read somewhere that shampoos can be toxic to kittens. How can I get rid of all the fleas?
thanks for all the answers! I want to try something rather quickly so they don't freeze in the garage and I don't know how soon I can get them to the vet.
Thanks everyone for your help. I used the dawn dish soap and it worked really well. I didn't get all the fleas since I didn't have a small enough comb but most of them came off, and boy were there ALOT! So tomorrow I will get one of those combs and get the rest and make an appointment with the vet. By the way, now that I got a closer look, I have a little boy kitty and a little girl kitty!

admin answers:

How many fleas are we talking here? Is it something you can comb out with a fine tooth comb? (comb and put it in a bag and pop their heads to kill them).

You could try washing them with some soapy water but you might get very scratched up.

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